Trick or Treat
by Zanmat0
Summary: Happy Halloween, everyone.


**Just so you know…I don't own Spider-Man. You'll see why I say this. Anyway…**

**Halloween!**

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><p>"<em>Hey there, Souji!"<em>

"Good morning, Yosuke. Did you need something?"

"_Yeah, I do, actually. Can you drop by to help set up the Halloween fair at Junes?"_

"The last time I sacrificed my morning for that, it turned out to be for nothing."

"_B-but, I gave you the costumes, remember?"_

"You mean the costumes you all refused to wear unless I begged you to? And even when it worked, it only worked in the TV world….where no one could see you guys. No fun."

"_Yeah, but…uh…are you coming to help or not?!"_

"Of course I am. Junes doesn't need you bursting into tears because the more efficient partner didn't show up."

"_Hey, if you always showed up then how would you know that I – never mind. Shut up and get over here!"_

As the call ended, Souji chuckled and got ready for the day. As he opened the drawer that held the various costumes he had thrust upon him the year he first came to Inaba, he dug around and found the vampire costume he received from Yosuke after the botched fair. He also found the costumes that everyone else has worn at his request when they explored the TV world. Suppressing a grin, he grabbed a duffel bag and started putting his costume on.

At the Junes employee room, Yosuke had the foresight to invite everyone else in the team under the façade of a fun Halloween. Changing his mind when Kanji got a hold of him, Yosuke promised he would sponsor a party after the fair was over.

"Hmm…I wonder what Souji's up to. He's a few minutes late."

"Senpai'll be here soon. It's just the kinda guy he is. We can beat him down later if lied about showing up."

"There's no need for that. Anyway, we'll probably be behind-the-scenes today. We don't have costumes this time."

_On the contrary…_

Everyone looked around at the deep voice that was echoing around them.

"W-w-who was that?"

_Who…or __**what**__…?_

There was a flash of black in the corner of the room, catching the eye of everyone who noticed. The sight was gone as soon as it appeared, until…a tall cloaked figure rose up behind the group, who were now trying to track the trail of whatever it was that was stalking them. Deciding on a target, the figure reached out…and grabbed Yosuke's shoulder.

"…_Boo."_

To put his scream into words would be underwhelming, so imagine an immature schoolgirl on helium who was trying to talk with a manly undertone. Screaming. Yeah.

Souji gracefully dodged backwards as Chie's foot shot out at the area where he was a second ago. As the group turned to face him…except for Yosuke, who was begging for his life to a coat rack, he remembered that he was wearing a phantom-esque mask he picked up from Shiroku Store on the way over. Failing to hide his laugh at the terrified expression on the face of his comrades, he masked his laughter with a deep undertone. Tossing the duffel bag on the ground, he crouched unto one knee a few feet away, head bowed. Sensing the group slowly inching towards him, he decided it was time for another scare. Souji's head darted up to stare at the rapidly retreating team as they noticed he was glaring at them. Standing up, he began to walk towards them, arms clasped behind his back and cloak dragging behind him. Finally, Naoto gathered her nerves and reached for her revolver.

"Remove the mask a-and put your hands in the air! I'm authorized t-to use lethal force if necessary…!"

Souji was undaunted, though he did stop a few inches in front of Naoto's trembling gun. He decided he wasn't going to take a chance to see if he was as bulletproof as he was in the TV world, and spoke in his normal tone.

"Come on now, Naoto. You would point a gun at your boyfriend on Halloween?" He continued, slowly removing his mask. "That, and the heroes don't stammer when they assert themselves. Or scream like…whatever that was, Yosuke."

Souji dropped the mask and reached out to slowly lower Naoto's hands, gently prying the gun out of her grip. She would get it back when she calmed down. His spider-sense tingled and he ducked as Kanji's fist flew through the air where his head used to be.

"D-d-dammit, Senpai! Just because you give everything 110 percent doesn't mean you can scare the sh*t out of us!"

Souji backpedaled, gracefully dodging Kanji's flurry of punches until he tired out, gently patting his bowed head when it was over.

"Yeah, but it was too perfect to resist."

He leaned on the wall as he let the group calm down, and was pleased to see his efforts were praised after they managed to relax.

"Now _that's _how to scare someone during Halloween. Damn, Souji, you really give it your all."

Nodding modestly, Souji gestured to the bag on the floor. "There's costumes in there for everyone. No need to hide during the fair today."

Motioning for the group to go in their respective changing rooms, he noticed Naoto was staying behind, clutching the package that contained her costume. Souji walked over to take a seat next to her.

"Senpai…"

"I know what's on your mind. Don't worry. I added some extra bits to your costume so it would be less…revealing. That's part of the reason why I never asked you to wear it in the TV world."

"'Extra bits'…?"

Nodding, Souji reached around her to bring her closer to him. "Yeah. You'll feel better about wearing it this time so you can focus on having fun." He gave her a reassuring squeeze and leaned over to whisper, "Trust me."

His tone seemed to jog her courage and she nodded at him as she headed for her dressing room.

✨ It took about 30 minutes for the rest of the team to get into their costumes and they looked largely the same as they did before, although when his gaze fell upon Naoto in her costume, he smiled at how much better it looked due to his consideration for her shyness. The cat façade remained, but she was now wearing a jacket with fur accents in some areas, and the shorts were now a bit longer trimmed with fur. While a blush was dusting her cheeks, she seemed to be a lot more comfortable now that the costume was less…ridiculous. Souji nodded his thanks to Kanji for teaching him how to knit, as Kanji responded with a thumbs up and a grin. After Yosuke issued the instructions for the day, the group split up. Souji reached out to gently pull Naoto back, and nodded at her.

(A/N: If you're having trouble imagining the costume, take Rock Howard's outfit and give it a bluish-grey color palette. With fur and cat ears.)

"Better?"

"Better. Thank you, Senpai."

Souji could have sworn the tail she was wearing was swishing around of its own volition, but he ignored it…with some difficulty. The two shared a quick kiss, then separated to head out to their respective work zones.

✨ The day went off without a hitch, although there were some shenanigans when some children decided it would be fun to pile drive Teddie after using him as a kiddie ride. Souji managed to scare him off with his phantom vampire façade before being tackled by a thankful bear.

The team had been taking a collective break as the crowd started to dissipate, presumably so the children could prepare for a night of costumes and candy.

…

"Sorry! I-I'm sorry!"

"Hold on, hold on…what exactly is wrong, Yosuke?"

Yosuke caught his breath as he shot Souji a grateful look, then he straightened his back and spoke again. "I, uh…I'm gonna need some time to gather the staff and clean up. Sorry, but the party I promised'll have to be postponed until later tonight."

Souji and Naoto both raised their hands to check the proximity watches, and the resulting beep was noticed by all but the owners. "It's still about 6pm. That's fine, we can all head home and rest for a bit. Yosuke, is it alright if we meet back here in a few hours?"

"Yeah! Yeah, that'll be fine. I'll have everything ready by then, trust me!"

"Is it alright if I stay an' help, Yosuke-senpai? Mom kicked me outta the house, said I had to go 'have fun'…do you mind?"

"Oh…sure. The more, the merrier, I guess. Thanks for the offer."

Souji clapped his hands together resolutely, nodding towards Yosuke and Kanji. "Alright, we'll come back after we rest up. I have to get home and help Nanako with her costume."

The group said their goodbyes and split up, but Naoto remained behind with Souji. "Senpai? I-I've never really experienced anything like this holiday before. Is it alright if I came with you…?"

Souji had swiftly swept Naoto off her feet as, as soon as she had realized what had happened, she tried to protest, much to Souji's reassurance.

"S-Senpai! What are you doing?"

"It's Halloween, and I shall be your tour guide, my feline detective! Now just relax, and let Dracula show thee how the world hath transformed for the holiday."

Naoto tried once again to squirm out his grip, but Souji's natural strength prevailed over hers. Sighing in mock annoyance, she hid a smile and wrapped her arms around his neck. Souji started walking in the direction of the Dojima household, cape trailing behind him and catgirl in tow. Children in costumes of all kinds were crowding the streets, and many were intrigued by the relatively strange looking couple. "Mr. Vampire, why are you carrying the pretty cat lady?"

Souji smiled and showed a bit of his fake fangs as he answered, "The kids may enjoy their candy, but Dracula has found his first victim!" He laughed with a gravelly tone as he leaned down to stare at the group of kids that were flocking to them. "This detective kitty tried to pretend that she didn't know what Halloween was, but I've taken it upon myself to teach her the meaning of fun." Swishing his cape around the two of them, he sprinted off, leaving a piece of candy in each of the children's hands.

"Senpai! I know how to have fun…"

"Ah, that's true, but there's always more ways to do so."

Souji's athleticism led them to get to the house in a few minutes, and Souji slowly set Naoto back on her feet, barely breathing any faster than he had when he broke into a sprint in the first place. "Now, wasn't that interesting?"

"What's interesting is how much stamina you have in reserve. Are you sure you're not a superhuman?"

"Well, we use our Perso-"

"Big Bro! You're back!"

"Hi there, Nanako. We have a guest tonight."

"Ahh! It's Naoto-chan! Oooh, that costume looks really good on you!"

Naoto blushed as she fidgeted around with the jacket sleeves. "O-oh…does it really? Your…um…your brother made it for me."

Nanako's smile grew as she bounced on the balls of her feet, stepping aside to let the couple in. "I got my costume too! I still have to change into it, though…"

Souji helped take off Naoto's fur jacket as he shut the door with his other hand. "Oh, right! It's that costume. The special costume."

"Yeah! I think Naoto-chan will know what it is when she sees it!"

Naoto turned to look at Souji quizzically. "I will?"

His response was to grin and wink. "Yes…you'll see."

Nanako echoed him as she skipped towards her room. "Yep! You'll see, you'll see!"

As soon as she had shut the door to change, a head poked out to stare at Souji. "Laugh and I'll arrest you. Both of you." Dojima stepped out from behind the hall door, and his appearance made it hard for Souji or Naoto to avoid a fit of chuckles. He was clad in a duster coat similar to the one Kanji was given by the fox in the TV world, and he had a fake pompadour over his regular crop of hair. Needless to say, the frustration in his eyes was evident as he spoke to his nephew. Naoto, however, landed the first word. "So…you're dressed as a hypocrite, Dojima-san?"

Souji, who had found the need to distract himself by getting a drink from the kitchen, choked when he heard the remark. Naoto rushed over and started massaging his back as he leaned heavily on the kitchen counter, trying to recover from his fit of laughter. She mumbled a quick apology as she turned to look at Dojima, who's earlier frustration was overridden by quiet concern. "It was Nanako's idea…she found the first costume at Junes that fit with her outfit and shoved it at me."

"What was Nanako's costume supposed to be?"

"Ehh…she said it was a secret."

"She didn't even tell you, either?" Souji had taken a big bowl from one of the many cupboards and started to fill it with the big bag of candy Dojima had bought a few days prior, albeit with some heavy convincing from Nanako. "Seems like she really wants to surprise us."

"I'm done!"

All eyes in the room turned to look at the new arrival, who had at last finished changing. There stood Nanako, dressed as the protagonist from one of her favorite forms of media, Detective Loveline, complete with all the tools any kid detective would need.

"You look perfect. Criminals beware when Detective Loveline is patrolling the streets!"

Grinning, Souji knelt in front of Nanako and put a piece of candy in her loot bag. "I bet you already arrested the mean old delinquent over there. Here's your reward."

He pulled off her small cap to ruffle her hair, and the two exchanged smiles as he started to show the way to the door. As he left Nanako to put on her shoes, he turned to Dojima. "I'm guessing you'll be supervising her?"

"Hmm…yeah, I will. If kids come by, feel free to give 'em some candy. We'll be back a little later."

"Alright. Stay safe and have fun, you two."

The father and the daughter waved goodbye as Souji shut the door behind them. Heading back to the living room, he took a seat next to Naoto, who had been watching the TV while sorting through the bowl of candy. "So Nanako's costume was nice."

"Indeed. She has Dojima-san wrapped around her finger if she managed to get him into that costume."

"She said the costume would be familiar to you…and I think you know what she meant."

"Err…I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, that copy of Witch Detective I had went missing the last time you wanted to come over…"

"I wonder what happened to it. Perhaps you should hire a detective."

"Maybe even a witch detective…oh no, she's missing. I was so close to reading the _riveting _last chapters, too."

By now, Naoto's respect for fine literature, as well as the sake of respectable detectives everywhere, led her to vent her vehement dislike of the witch…"detective". The only real effect it had, however, was to thoroughly amuse Souji, as well as prove his assumptions correct. "That…_atrocity _that has the gall to call itself a novel is one of the most torturous stories I've ever read!" Souji watched her detail her exact problems with the story with as straight a face he could manage, reaching into the bowl of candy to retrieve a small lollipop. By the time Naoto was finished, Souji had managed to get her to sit back down, though this time he had his arms around her waist as she settled onto his lap. "Sounds like you cooled off a bit?"

"I hope you don't mind that I submitted the book to the local library."

"Of course I don't mind. If I read any more I would need a hospital admission. I guess that means you're stronger than me."

"Ha. It's hard to tell if you're being sarcastic, what with you holding me like this."

"I'm not kidding, kitty. Ah! Here, open your mouth."

"Sorry?"

"You know what I mean. Come on, say 'ahh'…"

Naoto blushed as she accepted the lollipop Souji had been idling with, earning a happy smile from the vampire teen. She tasted the treat as she twirled it around in her mouth, watching Souji as he fiddled with the TV remote, dully switching between channels as he fished for some edible candy. Relaxing on his shoulder, she started gently poking his cheek with the stick of the lollipop. "Hey, what are you doing with that?"

She muttered around the stick as she replied, but continued poking him. "Mmf…I don't know, to be honest. I guess I'm having fun?"

Souji bit the end of the stick and slowly started to pull it out of her mouth, so as not to hurt her teeth, then replaced the lost item with a small piece of chocolate. Naoto stared at him, bemused at his strange antic, but chewed judiciously nonetheless. Souji watched as she consumed the morsel, just before he tenderly pulled off the cat ears that she was wearing to place them on his own head. "How does it look?"

"Well…it looks strangely fitting. But I think that might be because you simply look good in everything."

"Aww…that's so sweet of you."

"I think that might be the chocolate."

"If it means you're having fun, maybe I should feed you some more often."

"Hmm…" She smiled as she leaned closer to his face. "You haven't tried it yet."

Souji met her lips, and Naoto leaned in deeper as Souji's grip on her waist strengthened. He had barely settled into the kiss when he heard the doorbell ringing a few times. Breaking the kiss, a small smile crossed his face as he reached for his top hat. "Time to get in character, Detective Kitty."

"Please tell me you aren't going to make calling me that a habit."

"Depends on if you have fun by the end of the night."

His challenge was met by a soft laugh. "Is that so? I won't lose, you know."

Souji picked up the bowl and followed the cat tail to the door. They both nodded to each other, and reached out to open the door together. "Trick or treat!" There were a group of kids, all dressed in assorted costumes standing outside, smiles visible all around. "Happy Halloween, kids. Looking very scary today, too!"

Souji matched the children's smiles as he held out the bowl to the kids. To his side, he noticed that Naoto was watching one of the early teens, who was clad in a faithful homage to Sherlock Holmes. The two had struck up a conversation, but Souji couldn't focus on listening to it as he had his attention continually diverted to the small crowd in front of him. He was able to note the nostalgic smile that had crossed Naoto's face as she spoke with the fellow Holmes fan.

It took a few waves of trick-or-treaters, but the bowl Dojima had provided had finally been depleted, and Souji was forced to head back into the house, Naoto following close behind. As it was getting late, it didn't take long for Dojima and Nanako to return home. After a quick debrief on how their respective nights went, and the elder detective and his daughter were headed to bed.

_Pi-Pi-Pi-Pi-_

"Yosuke?"

"_Hey, uh…thanks to Kanji and the staff getting a raise for tonight…we have everything we need to throw a little after-hours party. Is Naoto-kun still with you?"_

"Well…yeah. Should we start heading over?"

"_Sure, that works. Just don't bring another bag of tricks with you. I think Teddie lost some fur over that."_

"No promises. We'll see you there."

"_See ya then."_

Souji pocketed his phone as he started to hand Naoto her jacket. "Time for the supposed party we were promised."

"It would seem so. With luck, there won't be some strange rendition of King's Game."

"I dunno…now that we all know each other better, as long as there's no alcohol, I think it'll be fun."

"Hm. Viable as that idea may be, don't bring it up tonight…I'm not sure I have the energy for Yukiko-senpai or Rise-san's antics."

"That's alright, it was a long day. Let's head out."

✨ Yosuke made good on his promise and, with Souji's help, threw a celebratory party with the leftover food and decorations. Rise got ahold of Teddie for a duet, while the rest of the team watched, laughing at Teddie's atrocious attempts at what he called the 'bear-ific dance'. Souji sat in the back of the small room they were occupying with Naoto sitting between his legs, joining him because she always enjoyed his company and as she simply loathed the idea of being Rise's next victim. Leaning comfortably back on his chest, Souji rested his chin on her shoulder so as to avoid getting poked by the cat ears she wore. He took in her scent as he asked, "Have fun today?"

"Yes. Surprisingly, yes."

"Surprisingly?"

"It's almost hard to believe how many kids tried to pull the tail…"

"…Tried to?"

"I can dodge, you know."

"As evidence by your reflexes in the TV world. Must be those latent cat-like reflexes…"

That got a laugh out of her. "Senpai…you know my reflexes were just honed from old cases and the training we got to in the TV world."

"Right, right. Still though, it must have added to the idea that cats are very agile." Squeezing her affectionately, he continued, "I wish I could have seen you in action."

"You saw enough of that the year of the investigation…and I'm sure it wasn't anything special."

"Self-deprecation?"

"Senpai…"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I…don't mind when it's you saying it."

A blush crossed her face, but she snuggled into Souji nonetheless. They sat that way for a few minutes before Souji decided to ask.

"Naoto?"

"Hm…?"

"…Trick or treat?"

"Senpai?"

He nuzzled against her shoulder in silent pleading. Naoto sighed in response. "What does trick entail?" Souji gently bit the exposed skin between her shoulder and neck, eliciting a gasp of shock. He noted the response as he released the soft grip he had with his mouth.

"Souji-kun…w-…why did you bite me?"

"I'm a vampire, aren't I? And your reaction was rather…interesting."

Her soft blush deepened. "Y-you know I'm sensitive there…"

"You mean here?" He gently bit again.

Naoto inhaled as she embraced the tingling feeling that was focused on her neck."…yes, I mean there."

He released his grip again, settling with giving her a loving squeeze once again. He silently enjoyed her warmth until she asked, "Umm…what would you have done if I said 'treat'?" He smiled into her shoulder before whispering, "This." His hand rose from her waist to turn her head to him and give her a soft kiss. Breaking the affectionate gesture to smile at her, she blinked the stars out of her eyes as she returned the smile. Leaning back onto him, she relaxed. And the festive night went on…

"Happy Halloween, Naoto."

"Happy Halloween, Souji-kun."

✨ The party went on a lot longer than expected, and the tired team went their separate ways. Naoto and Souji were a special case. The workload the cat-detective was stuck with seemed to drain a lot of her energy, so Souji found himself carrying her home once again. The night was relatively chilly, so Naoto was wrapped in Souji's vampire cloak as she was carried on his back with her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. Souji himself never complained when he was stuck with the task of carrying her home after she fell asleep; in fact, he rather enjoyed when the opportunities to give her a piggy-back ride arose. She was light, soft, and warm compared to how cold the night was. He renewed his grip and continued on the quiet path to her apartment, smiling all the while.

✨ When he eventually arrived at her apartment, he silently thanked Naoto that she gave him a spare key, and let himself in. Padding swiftly over to her bedroom, he slowly deposited her on the bed and tucked her in. Just as he was about to leave the room, he heard Naoto weakly call out to him. Turning, worried that he woke her up, he was surprised to see her sitting up tiredly. Even the cat ears she still wore seemed to droop with her lack of energy. Sighing softly, he let a smile cross his face at how possessive she became when she was sleepy. Climbing into the bed a few inches away from her, he gasped softly as she clutched one of his arms to her. As he removed his top hat, his smile grew a bit as he felt himself drifting off.

_Hm…Happy Halloween indeed…_

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><p><strong>I think this might be my longest fic yet, if one doesn't count my chapter stories.<strong>

**Nonetheless, Happy Halloween, all! Have fun and stay safe.**


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